


Heart to Heart

by inflightdoughnuts



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Divorce, Light Angst, M/M, Other, Past Relationship(s), Sad, mentioning of Mrs. Mcgucket
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-08-29 08:41:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8482864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inflightdoughnuts/pseuds/inflightdoughnuts
Summary: After being served with divorce papers from his estranged wife, Fiddleford McGucket must try to pick up the pieces of his life with Stanford Pines by his side on the outskirts of a small town in Oregon. However, it seems that the memories from his college days with Stanford are far from the recesses of his mind. Fiddleford is torn with the loss of two relationships, one of which ended at least ten years ago, and now he must navigate a world between those who he loved dearly.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> S/O to my girlfriend, who has to listen to me babble about the hypothetical lives of these fictional characters every single day.  
> You're the MVP.

Ford sat at the kitchen table. To his left, he had a cooling mug of coffee but to his right he had various papers and news articles strewn about. He bit at the clicker end of his pen while his eyes scanned through the book in front of him.

Fiddleford sat directly across from him; he nursed on his own mug of coffee.

“Stanford?”

There was a rustle of papers before he even considered lifting his head up to fully acknowledge Fidds. He sat staring at him, brow furrowed, waiting for him to continue talking.

Across the table, Fidds kept his eyes on the coffee in his mug.

“I got a call from the wife last night. She’s wanting me to come back home.” His eyes wandered from the mug to the book beneath Ford’s hands back to his own coffee. “I told her I couldn’t leave now...that we’re getting close to a breakthrough. She wasn’t awfully happy about that. Told me how much my boy misses me and how she’s having a hard time taking care of the house and keepin’ up with everything by herself.”

Ford closed the book in front of him and crossed his hands on top of it. 

“Fiddleford, you know you can take a small leave if you need to? The portal will still be here when you come back.”

Fidds sat his coffee cup down and gave Ford a soft smile with watery eyes. His voice came out strained, almost unnatural and broken.

“It’s fine, Ford. She already talked to a lawyer and filled out most a’ the forms. I’ll be served the decree sometime next week.”

By the time he finished what he needed to say, tears were running down his cheeks and falling onto his shirt. 

Ford wrung his hands and glanced occasionally at Fidds. Torn between feeling a pain in his chest from how obviously hurt his assistant was and the awkwardness of having to sit and watch this grown man cry, he opted to look at his now abandoned coffee cup before speaking.

“I’m so sorry, Fidds.” He pursed his lips in thought before raising his voice again. “I hate to sound like I’m doubting you right now but this seems really...rushed? Are you absolutely certain she filed for divorce?”

Fiddleford’s forced grin finally dropped. He rubbed the back of his neck. 

“She knew about you, about what we were in college. I love her to bits but goddamn she was worried ever since you called me. She felt worse after I decided to come out here. Guess she couldn’t get the fact we had a past out of her head and her anxieties just overthrew any sorta’ common sense she had about this whole thing.” He paused to wipe his cheeks free of tears. “She’s been thinkin’ about this for months apparently. I’m lettin’ her have everything because it’s just not worth the fight.”

Ford subconsciously added guilt to his previous feelings. Guilt for his past running his assistant’s future and guilt for ever thinking that the past was the best part of both of their lives.

“You can stay here.” He stuffed a few papers in the book in front of him before standing up. “Don’t worry about paying anything extra or having to take up any chores that you haven’t already.” He stopped in the door frame and looked back at his friend.

“Thank you, Ford.”

Stanford gave a curt nod before ducking out of the kitchen and making his way towards the den.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd super appreciate any sort of feedback! This is the first real piece of fanfic I've posted online since I was in middle school so i'm obviously a little rusty at this entire thing. I might also continue this fic if i can muster up enough energy to keep it going.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look in the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess I'm going to continue this! Thank y'all so much for the kudos on the first chapter.

The bright sun glittered into the room between the barely opened shades. The sounds of soft breathing filled the dorm room as the day was just beginning. Ford let out a soft groan as the sunlight fell in stripes along his face. He squinched his nose up and turned onto his side, pulling the covers tight around him. He was thoroughly enjoying the warmth of the sun falling across his shoulders and back until he heard a soft murmur come from in front of him. Ford's mind raced, running through every anxiety induced probability about who could be laying across from him until he remembered that Fiddleford stayed the night and his dorm-mate was in so they had to share a bed. He peeked at Fiddleford.

Fidds squeaked when he felt Ford wrap his arms around him, but he nuzzled his cheek against Ford's chest after he was pulled in close.

"Mornin', Ford."

Ford grinned softly and played with the hair on the nape of Fiddleford's neck. 

They were enveloped in the soft silence of the room. The window air conditioning unit gave a soft whir as it started up. Ford let out a yawn and wrapped his arm tighter around Fidds and he in turn placed his chin against Ford's neck.

"Didya' finish the homework assignment for Tuesday?" Fidds piped up, his words muffled by the skin of Ford's neck. He leaned back enough to get a good look at Ford.

"Of course I did." He gave a small chuckle and rolled over onto his back, keeping his arm underneath Fiddleford's head.

"I'll have to take a look at it when we get up. Got lost during lecturing last week so I haven't got the faintest clue what to do."

Fiddleford's gaze stayed on the NASA logo of Ford's shirt. His fingers curling up the fabric of his own shirt. He gave a shaky inhale before looking up at Ford. 

"Stanford?"

Ford tilted his head to look down at him. He felt a panic rise in his chest and looked away from Ford.

"I enjoy being here like this..." he motioned a shaky hand between them before continuing, "I like being around you."

He exhaled slowly and took Ford's hand in his own, his trembling hand bringing it up to his lips. Fiddleford pressed a soft kiss against Ford's fingers before glancing up at him. 

Ford felt his face heat up, the tips of his ears turning a warm pink as well. He held onto his friend's hand tighter as his other hand wrapped around Fiddleford's slender shoulder so he could pull him closer.

Fiddleford, however, let go of Ford's hand and instead let his own hand rest against Ford's chest. He kept his gaze on Ford as he propped up on his elbow and let his hand slide from Ford's chest up to his lightly stubble covered cheek. His breathing was shallow and his body was shaking to pieces, but he still leaned forward until their noses almost touched. With a tilt of his chin, he leaned in the rest of the way and pressed a soft, chaste kiss against Ford's lips. He pulled back with a soft exhale.

"Been wantin' to do that since I met ya in August." He murmured in the small space between their mouths.

This time Ford was the one to lean in and return the kiss. He brought his free hand up to curl his fingertips in Fiddleford's sandy brown hair. He pulled away from the kiss to look at Fidds.

"I want ya' to know it's real hard to concentrate on rolling for perception when I'd rather lean over the game board and kiss ya'." Fiddleford gave a small chuckle and looked back up at Ford.

"That explains why you wanted me to be the DM so much." Ford replied with a chuckle.

The deep chime from the longcase clock in the foyer pulled Fiddleford from his memories. He picked up his now cold mug and walked over to the sink to pour it out only to leave it sitting in the sink. He pulled at his sweater sleeves before leaving the kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

It was Friday when Fiddleford's divorce decree showed up in the mail. Standing in the post office, Ford turned the envelope in his hands. He traced his fingertips over the finely written print stating some various law firm based in California. Afterwards, he placed the letter and the rest of the mail in the pocket of his trench coat.

Against the right wall of the basement study, Fiddleford sat at a simple rosewood desk. He hummed along to the soft sounds of the radio that sat close by while tapping the toe of his shoe against the floor. The soft scratching of his pencil against the blueprint paper in front of him fell in time with the twang of the radio and the steady beat of his foot. He looked towards the door when he heard the creak of the elevator beginning to descend and his head quickly fell back in place by habit. He returned his gaze to the elevator as it chimed and Stanford made his way into the study.

"Didya' get the MoonPies like I asked?" Fiddleford queried Ford before he pursed his lips and pressed his pencil against it.

Ford nodded and pulled the letters out of his coat. "Yes, I purchased a few bottles of RC Cola too since I know how you like them together." 

He began to shuffle through the mail while walking over to sit at the desk next to Fidds. Ford pulled the legal letter from the batch and handed it over to Fidds while sitting down. He pulled his journal from the shelf on his desk and began to flip though it to return to an abandoned sketch.

After glancing at the return address on the envelope, Fidds quickly opened the letter and unfolded it. Its envelope now discarded rudely on the study floor. His eyes scanned through the document. Halfway through it, he pressed his closed fist against his chest as he felt anxiety start to bubble up inside him. He chucked the letter to the edge of his desk and brought his hands up to curl in the strands of his hair. His eyes closed as he bowed his head down and tried his best to control his breathing. 

Ford turned his head to look over at Fiddleford, unsure of what to do. He placed his journal back on the shelf and decided to reach for the letter to look through it. It was, more or less, a standard divorce decree. He stopped glancing though when he looked at Mrs. McGucket's signature; It was soft, swirling, and above everything else, without hesitation. Ford refolded the letter and sat it back on Fiddleford's desk. He placed his hand flat against his friend's back.

"Feel free to take the rest of the weekend off, Fidds." He moved his hand up to Fiddleford's shoulder and gave a slight squeeze. "Do you want to go upstairs and watch a movie with me? Get your mind off of all this for the rest of the night?"

Fidds gave a nod as his only reply, in turn Ford gave his shoulder a small shake before making his way over to the elevator. 

"You can pick out the movie. I won't even complain if you want to watch Grease." Ford assured him.

They stood shoulder to shoulder in the elevator. Ford glanced at Fiddleford only to have their gazes to meet. A pained smile graced his features. Fiddleford quickly covered his mouth with a free hand and held in a snort. Ford tilted his head and furrowed his brow.

"What was that all about?" He pouted.

"The only time you looked as stupid as ya' do right now was when ya' got drunk at that party and confessed your love for Tesla to a bunch of freshmen." Fiddleford said between a few repressed snickers. "I know you're worried about me, but sweet sarsaparilla you're acting like I just got told I've got less than a year to live."

The elevator gave a ding before Ford could give a genuine reply. He tagged behind Fiddleford until they reached the den then branched off on his own to the kitchen. After fishing out some Jiffy Pop, he turned on the stove and placed his free hand against his hip while waiting for the corn to start popping. In a few minutes, the corn began to pop and the foil top on the contraption expanded.

Fiddleford did pick out Grease. So they sat together, with a small bowl of popcorn between them, as the swell of instrumental music played over the footage of a gorgeous beach of another time and another place. Fidds let out a soft sigh and for the first time in weeks he felt content.

_"Danny, is this the end?"_

_"Of course not, it's only the beginning."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was hoping to get this out sooner but this week has been god awful and rough as all hell.  
> I'm also going to start giving my chapters a little more substance! I know they're a little on the small side, but im just trying to ~hone my craft~ or whatever its called.


	4. Chapter 4

Snow was finally starting to fall into thick clumpy piles that barely weighed down the branches of trees and became slush easily beneath a set of tires. The weather seemed to fall between the two absolutes of autumn and the truly cold depths of winter. Fiddleford also was in between two absolutes: marriage and a completed divorce. 

Ford noted, but did not mention, that some days Fidds would wear his wedding band proudly. He let the soft gold ring shine even in situations that he didn't wear it during before, like welding and while working with chemicals. On other days, the ring would be far from his person and instead stashed away somewhere out of sight and out of mind. Despite how much Fiddleford's jewelry habit changed from day to day, his overall composure had yet to truly waiver. He still smiled and joked around, his hands were never far from his own banjo, and he took any chance to jab at Ford just like he did back in college. All of this was mildly reassuring for Ford even though he knew it was nothing more then a facade. Ford knew that Fiddleford's sleeping habits have been fluctuating between essentially none to hearing his friend sob into his pillow until he fell asleep as Ford had witnessed the last time he had to go upstairs in the middle of the night. 

This morning must have been another one of Fiddleford's sleepless nights. He looked more disheveled than ever. Paired with a large mug of coffee and the dark circles under his eyes, it would be easy to say that the man probably got less than a few hours of sleep.

Fidds did not acknowledge Ford outside of a small nod. He quickly went back to nursing his coffee. Ford joined him at the table after pouring his own cup. The silence ruminated between them for a few minutes before Fiddleford spoke.

"Is there somethin' wrong with me Ford?" his head was tilted slightly and his brow was furrowed. 

Fidds now had his forearm resting against the table as his other arm was wrapped around him to hold onto his shoulder. He looked shaken up, but more than anything else he looked vulnerable. It was a facet of his being that Ford hadn't seen since their time together in college. He felt a snarky reply would be best.

"Are you referring to your banjo obsession?" Ford tried his best to refrain from chuckling. After looking up at Fidds and noticing that he did not enjoy the quip, he buried what was left of his chuckles by clearing his throat and taking a sip of coffee as he looked off to the side.

"I'm tryin' to be serious, Ford. It didn't work out between us and it's not workin' out between my wife and I. I'm just starting to wonder if it might just be me." The last few words got caught in his throat and came out sounding more pitiful than originally intended. He kept his line of vision low enough so he couldn't see Ford's reaction outside of him clutching the handle of his coffee cup just a little tighter. He held a breath in his lungs before standing up and pushing his chair in. He held onto the back of the chair with one hand as the other pressed his fingertips against his temple. He let the entrapped breath of air loose. "Y'know my life isn't a joke, right? I'm not one of your experiments, Stanford." Leaning slightly over the chair, he furrowed his brow and tried his best to keep eye contact with Ford. "The least you could do is act like I'm losing my house and kid, as that's what is happening while you wanted me to come here and play house in the middle of the woods with you."

"You think this is some failed attempt to rekindle our relationship from college? You really think I dragged you out here to tear apart your family?" Stanford straightened up in his chair. "If you think that then you're a bigger idiot than I thought, Fiddleford."

Fidds paused. He clenched his jaw and took a full step back away from the table, afraid of what he could do out of anger but more afraid of what he would want to do instead. He ran his thumb over a knuckle on his clenched fist. "I don't know what happened to the man that I met in college but you're not him. You're smart, Ford, but your head is so far up your ass you might as well be speakin' out of yer' colon." On that note, he left the room. No time for Ford to retort and no time for him to think about the life he would have had if he didn't come out to see Ford, if he wouldn't have married his wife, or if the blossoming relationship between him and the broken down boy he shared a dorm with so long ago would have stood the test of time. None of those possibilities came to fruition and he found it in his best interest to put away any further thoughts about them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read this fic. I, sadly, think this is it for me on this one. My life is kind of yikes and I no longer have the drive, inspiration, or support to work on this like I did when I started. 
> 
> Thank you all so much.


End file.
